Correctional institution legal postal mail processing system and method

ABSTRACT

A method and system for eliminating contraband in legal postal mail at a correctional facility comprising of a facility-use legal mail scanning station and a network of inmate-accessible devices and or messaging systems such that correctional institution staff can inspect the legal mail for contraband without violating an inmate&#39;s right to privacy for such mail. The legal mail is scanned by the staff member or inmate under the supervision of a staff member and then shredded or placed into the inmate&#39;s personal property in secure storage. The scanned mail may then be made available to the intended inmate through the inmate-accessible devices or printed at the scanning station to ensure the elimination of contraband.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application includes material which is subject to copyrightprotection. The copyright owner has no objection to reproduction byanyone of the patent disclosure in its entirety, as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office files or records. but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/286,305 entitled “CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION LEGALPOSTAL MAIL PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD,” filed Feb. 26, 2019, whichfurther claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.62/634,975, filed Feb. 26, 2018, entitled Correctional Institution LegalPostal Mail Processing System and Method. Each of the above referencedapplication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND Field of the Art

The presently disclosed invention relates in general to the field ofpostal mail delivery, and in particular, to a system and method forproviding copies of postal mail to individuals incarcerated in acorrectional facility in a safe manner in order to ensure theelimination of any contraband, reduce administrative costs for thecorrectional facility, while still allowing for delivery of legal postalmail which is privileged and is intended to be viewable by the inmateonly, and not by the correctional facility staff or investigators.

Background

Methods for the delivery of postal mail and electronic mail to inmatesare known in the art. Procedures or methods for dispensing mail viatraditional postal systems have been described in U.S. Pat. No.5,917,925. Systems for using electronic messaging in institutions, suchas prisons, have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,502,451. A system andmethod for electronically delivering postal mail to inmates is describedin U.S. application Ser. No. 15/153,171. The foregoing patents andapplications are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in theirentireties. It is well known that legal postal mail is privileged andnot searched by the facility staff prior to delivery to the inmate whichprovides an opportunity for contraband to be transferred by way of legalpostal documents to inmates. This presents a problem for thecorrectional facility which needs to be resolved so inmates can receivelegitimate privileged legal postal mail without the possibility ofreceiving contraband material. However, the system and method disclosedin U.S. application Ser. No. 15/153,171 and the associated procedures ormethods do not adequately address the conversion of postal mail which isbeen sent to the inmate under the privileged legal postal mail categoryto electronic mail for the elimination of any contraband being deliveredto prison inmates, and U.S. application Ser. No. 15/153,17, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, doesnot address the processing of privileged legal postal mail that is notto be viewable by anyone other than the inmate, such as communicationsthat are marked and appear by their envelope to be from the inmate'sattorney. Embodiments of the presently disclosed invention address suchlimitations, inter alia, by providing an improved system and method fordelivery of mail identified as legal postal mail to inmates in acorrectional facility that allows for delivery of legal postal mail thatcan be viewed only by the inmate. The instant invention provides thecorrectional facility with greatly reduced likelihood that such legalpostal mail could also be used for transferring or transmission ofcontraband to the inmate.

SUMMARY

The present inventions provides an apparatus, system and method foreliminating contraband in privileged legal postal mail delivered to acorrectional facility. The processing facility for receiving the mailcan either be at a central facility or located at the local correctionalfacility. Staff at a processing facility may receive postal mail forinmates which are located at many different facilities or are located atthe same location as the processing facility. Upon receipt at theprocessing facility, the postal mail may be reviewed for information.Such information may be addressee or recipient inmate information,sender information, institution information, or any other informationdiscoverable upon inspection, review or analysis of the postal mailwithout opening it. The staff determines that the mail containsprivileged legal postal mail by using the results of the inspection,review or analysis of the postal mail and comparing it to apredetermined protocol which assist the staff to correctly categorizedthe mail as legal postal mail. The protocol may compare the sender witha known list, originator information, originating post office, courtinformation, attorney name, law firm designator or other information tothe information on the exterior of the Postal mail.

If the postal mail meets the preset criteria for being privileged legalpostal mail it can then be separated from the other non-legal postalmail. Once information is retrieved from the mail, the information maybe associated with the intended recipient inmate, such as through aninmate identifier or email. The non-legal postal mail may then beprocessed by the appropriate method or protocol used by the processingfacility which may include scanning it to create an electronic copywhich may be stored, such as on a server which may be accessed over anetwork. The electronic copy of the non-legal postal may include any andall information obtained from the postal mail including its contents,and additional information such as whether contraband was found in thepostal mail.

The privileged legal postal mail may optionally be logged as having beenreceived, and then forwarded for delivery to the inmate without opening.The log can either be electronic or manual. If the processing facilityis outside the correctional facility, then the legal postal mail may bereceived at the processing facility and forwarded to the correctionalfacility. If the processing facility is in the correctional facility,then the legal postal may be logged there, without opening, and thenforwarded on to personnel at the correctional facility associated withthe inmate for delivery to the inmate.

Regardless if the processing facility is remote or located at thecorrectional facility when the privileged legal postal mail arrives atthe correctional facility associated with the inmate it may then bedelivered to the inmate using a legal postal mail scanning station whichis configured to process the legal postal mail to provide an appropriateinspection without violating the inmate's rights to privacy. The legalpostal mail delivery station can be configured to have equipment andsoftware which will provide for opening, scanning and delivering thescanned image copies in either printed copies or electronic copiesdepending on the desire of the inmate and the protocols of thecorrectional institution. The legal postal mail delivery station couldcontain any combination of the following hardware and associatedsoftware, a copier, a shredder, a scanner, a scanner shredder, a copiershredder, a tablet or other computer with memory, viewing software,printing software, portable storage medium docking device such as, butnot limited to a USB connector, CD burner and reader, a printer and acamera. The legal postal mail may then be delivered to the inmate who,in front of correctional facility staff, will open the legal postal mailand copy it with the copier, or scan it with the scanner, after which itis shredded or placed into a secure inmate property bag. In the case ofscanning, a scanned image will either be printed, loaded onto a portablestorage medium or transmitted to a server for later viewing via aninmate messaging system. The legal postal mail scanning station may bein a fixed location or may be on a mobile cart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which reference characters may refer to the same parts throughout thevarious views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic drawing of a cart providing a legalpostal mail delivery station for the processing of legal postal mail ina correctional facility;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailin an embodiment of a legal postal mail processing station utilizing acopier; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailin an embodiment of a legal postal mail processing station utilizing ascanner, an electronic inmate messaging system, and an optional printer.

FIG. 4 illustrates embodiment of the invention that utilizes a legalpostal mail tracking device.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailin an embodiment of a legal postal mail processing station utilizing ascanner, an electronic inmate messaging system, and transmitting thescan image to a central database.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailreceived at a central processing facility in an embodiment of a legalpostal mail processing station utilizing a scanner, an electronic inmatemessaging system, and transmitting the scan image to a central database.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

While various aspects and features of certain embodiments have beensummarized above, the following detailed description illustrates a fewexemplary embodiments in further detail to enable one skilled in the artto practice such embodiments. The described examples are provided forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to oneskilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the presentinvention may be practiced without some of these specific details.Several embodiments are described herein, and while various features areascribed to different embodiments, it should be appreciated that thefeatures described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporatedwith other embodiments as well. By the same token, however, no singlefeature or features of any described embodiment should be consideredessential to every embodiment of the invention, as other embodiments ofthe invention may omit such features.

In this application the use of the singular includes the plural unlessspecifically stated otherwise, and use of the terms “and” and “or” isequivalent to “and/or,” also referred to as “non-exclusive or” unlessotherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as wellas other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considerednon-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompassboth elements and components comprising one unit and elements andcomponents that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically statedotherwise.

A scanned image copy or scanned image or scan image are usedinterchangeably and is defined as a scan image of the legal postal mailand any associated materials including envelope, photographs, pictures,etc.

The term processing facility, central facility, mail processing facilityare used interchangeably and refer to a facility for receiving the mailand can either be at a central facility or located at the localcorrectional facility.

An inmate messaging system and email system are used interchangeably andmean a messaging system that is accessible by the inmate.

Correctional facility staff, correctional personnel, correctionalinstitution staff member, institution staff and institution personnelare used interchangeably and refer to individuals who work at thecorrectional institution.

Legal mail and legal postal mail are used interchangeably and refer tomail that cannot be viewed or processed by the correctional facilitystaff prior to delivery.

Portable computer, computer and tablet are used interchangeably andrefer to a computer attached to legal mail processing cart.

Wireless mobile telecommunications technology and wireless network areused interchangeably and refer to wireless internet communicationsystems which are commonly referred to as 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G 4.5G and5G networks

Correctional facility, correctional institution, institution andfacility are used interchangeably and refer to refer to a facility forhousing inmates.

Legal postal mail and legal mail and postal mail are usedinterchangeably and refer to postal mail containing legal communicationsfor an inmate.

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentlydisclosed invention, features of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

Postal mail is a federal right to U.S. citizens incarcerated in acorrectional facility within the United States. Postal mail, however,has been used to deliver inappropriate and illegal contraband, includingphotographs, pornography and illegal drugs, to inmates. While mostpostal mail can be searched for contraband before delivery to inmates,certain mail is considered privileged such as legal postal mail cannotbe viewed or processed by the correctional facility staff prior todelivery. Herein the term “legal postal mail” refers to mail thatcorrectional facility staff is not permitted to view by law, regulationor facility policy, and includes, without limitation, letters thatappear to have been sent by inmate's legal postal counsel. Whether ornot postal mail is to be treated as legal postal mail is determined byviewing information visible on the outside of the postal mail withoutopening it. The specific protocol used by the processing facility mayinclude comparing the sender with a known list, originator information,originating post office, court information, attorney name, law firmdesignator or other information to the information on the exterior ofthe Postal mail.

While most legal postal mail is likely to be contraband-free,particularly when it is legitimate communications from legal postalcounsel, it is possible that some postal mail may be disguised as legalpostal mail in order to avoid pre-delivery inspection, or, in rarecases, that unscrupulous persons may include contraband in otherwiselegitimate legal postal mail (e.g. a personal note from a family memberthat has been treated in a way that can be used to deliver illegalpostal substances into the facility). There is, therefore, a need toallow legal postal mail to be delivered to inmates in a way thatcomplies with the inmate's rights, but also eliminates or greatlyreduces the likelihood of legal postal mail being a conduit forcontraband.

The present disclosure describes embodiments of systems and methods thatmeet this need in which legal postal mail is delivered to the inmate ata legal postal mail processing station. The legal postal mail processingstation can be either a fixed or mobile processing station. When a fixedstation is installed then the inmate must be taken to the location ofthe processing station. If the processing station is a mobile design,then the processing station is relocated to the inmate. In either casethe institution personnel log into the legal mail processing cartcomputer to initiate the process, then the legal postal mail is openedby the inmate in front of correctional facility staff and inserted intoa scanner or copier which is part of the processing station. If theprocessing station has a copier and that copier is used to replicate thelegal postal mail then the inmate is given the copies of the copieddocument and the inmate confirms that all the pages are readable anduseable prior to the corrections officer or inmate placing the legalpostal mail into the shedder for disposal of the original legal postalmail or into a secure inmate property bag for storage which eliminatesthe possibility of any contraband being transferred to the inmate. Ifthe legal postal mail is scanned at the legal postal mail processingstation then the scanned legal postal mail is then either printed orreviewed on a computer (herein the term “computer” refers to any devicecapable of displaying the scanned image or delivering such image to aninmate messaging system including, but not limited to a tablet computer,desktop computer or laptop, the computer being configured with memoryand electronic communication means—such as, but not limited to,Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, WI/FI, 3G, 4 G and 5 G wireless mobiletelecommunications technology, radio frequency, telephonic modem signalsand wired ethernet). Once the inmate determines that the scan isaccurate, the original legal postal mail is deposited into a shredder orinto a secure inmate property bag for storage, which eliminates thepossibility of any contraband being transferred to the inmate. In theevent a printed copy was made, the printed copy will be contraband-freeand may be left with the inmate. In the event an electronic scan wasmade, it may be delivered to an inmate messaging system and flagged as aprivileged message such that the messaging system will allow it to beviewed only by the inmate and not by correctional facility staff. Athird option that is anticipated by the instant invention is where thelegal postal mail processing station is located at a central processingfacility and the inmate joins the opening process via videoconferencing. When this process is used then the inmate controls theopening and scanning of the mail and confirms that the mail has beenscanned accurately via the video conferencing method before thecorrectional facility staff is released by the inmate to shred the legalpostal mail or place the legal postal mail into their property storage.In certain embodiments non-legal postal mail processed at a centralfacility is also scanned and viewed by the inmate through the samemessaging system, as is described in the incorporated references. Incertain embodiments the opening and scanning process is recorded with acamera and the video is stored on the legal postal mail scanning stationor uploaded to a server where the record of the opening and scanning maybe retrieved and reviewed at a later time.

An alternated embodiment provides for a unique identifier for each pieceof legal postal mail. The identifier is placed on the legal postal mailonce it is identified by the staff as legal postal mail. This provides aunique identifier for the legal postal mail and insures that there isproper handling of the mail. The unique identifier could be in any formthat allows electronic tracking so that the mail is easily identifiableas legal postal mail. The following is a brief description of theprocess utilizing the unique identifier to track legal postal mailwithin the facility and insure that the mail is delivered expeditiouslyto the correct inmate. The process could utilize the following steps:

1) When legal postal mail has been identified at the mail receivingstation as legal postal mail it is assigned a unique identifier id whichhas a corresponding RFID and/or bar code. Alternatively, the institutioncould also use a Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee® transmitter as theunique identifier and the address or id for that transmitter would beassociated with the particular piece of mail.

2) The unique identifier id is then associated with the legal postalmail 1 and the inmate identifier which is associated with the inmate whothe legal postal mail is addressed to by entering it in a legal postalcomputer tracking system which must be accessible from the legal postalmail processing cart.

3) The legal postal mail and the legal postal mail processing cart willbe taken to the inmate or if the legal postal mail processing cart isstationary the inmate will be brought to the legal postal mailprocessing cart.

4) The staff member logging in to the mail scanning station usingcredentials to identify the staff member.

5) The staff member searching for the recipient inmate by name or IDnumber to associate the upcoming scan with the inmate's account;

6) The institution personnel will scan the legal postal mail uniqueidentifier and the inmate identifier and enter them into the legalpostal mail computer tracking system. The inmate identifier could be,but not limited to, facial recognition, RFID identity card, RFIDbracelet, Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee® transmitter.

7) If the legal postal mail unique identifier and inmate identifier donot match, the mail will be returned to the mail receiving station forverification. If the unique identifier and the inmate identifier match,then the legal postal mail will be opened by the inmate in front of theinstitution personnel.

8) The legal postal mail will be scanned in front of the inmate by theinstitution personnel or by the inmate under the supervision of theinstitution personnel.

9) The inmate will compare the scanned legal postal mail and the legalpostal mail.

10) After the inmate concurs with the scan legal postal mail of thelegal postal mail the Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee® transmitter, RFIDand/or barcode, or other technology equivalent, may or may not beremoved by the institution staff and the mail will be bagged for storageor shredded.

11) The inmate will be provided access to the scan mail either throughusing their inmate identifier and the messaging system of given aprinted copy of scan mailed.

FIG. 1 illustrates, in schematic form, an embodiment of a mobile legalpostal mail processing station in the form of legal postal mailprocessing cart 10 suitable for use in a correctional facility. Legalpostal mail processing cart 10 is wheeled so that it may be moved bycorrectional facility staff so that it can be taken to the inmate'slocation, thereby avoiding the risks and complications of moving theinmate to a fixed legal postal mail processing station. Where moving theinmate is a viable option for the corrections facility, however, thesame basic configuration may be used in a kiosk or processing stationthat is not on a mobile cart to create a fixed-location legal postalmail processing station.

Legal postal mail processing cart 10 comprises scanner 20. Scanner 20may be a document scanner such as the Epson WorkForce DS-510 ColorDocument Scanner. While any document scanner, may be used, in certainembodiments it is convenient for the scanner to be color (therebyallowing the scanning of communications that are not black and white)and to include a document feeder (either one-sided or two-sided) toenable automated scanning of multi-page communications. Optionally, itmay also be, or include, a single-page flatbed scanner, which may beused for materials of a size that cannot be read by a document feeder.Wireless communication capability may also be desirable to allow scanner20 to communicate with portable computer or tablet 30 (described below)without the need for cables.

Printer 40 may be any printer capable of printing the image captured byscanner 20. One possible printer that may be used is the HP LaserJet ProM452nw Wireless Color Printer, but it will be understood that many otherprinters may be used. Where mobility is needed, both scanner 20 andprinter 40 may be selected based on size and power usage needs. The lesspower required will result in a more robust system capable of processingmore documents prior to recharging of power supply 80 (described furtherbelow), and the smaller the size will result in a more mobile Legalpostal mail processing cart 10.

It will be understood that embodiments that do not require separatescanner 20 and printer 40 are also possible. For example, and withoutlimitation, scanning and printing could be combined in a singlemulti-function device such as, without limitation, a Brother MFC9325CWWireless Color Printer with Scanner, Copier & Fax, or simply a copier(not illustrated). One possible advantage of separating the scanner 20and printer 40 into separate devices is that they can be separatelycontrolled by a portable computer or tablet 30 such that the scannedimage copy can be processed by portable computer or tablet 30 prior to,or in lieu of, printing. While it is possible that portable computer ortablet 30 may also separately control the scanning and printing of asingle multi-function device, configuring it to control separate devicesmay reduce the likelihood that settings will be inadvertently changed onthe multifunction device which will result in a more seamlessimplementation. This is possible because multifunction devices ofteninclude user interfaces that allow the user to reset the deviceconfiguration, whereas single purpose devices may not have suchinterfaces, or may have simpler interfaces with fewer settings availablefor configuration on the device itself. It should be noted, however thatwhere no record of the scanned image copy is to be uploaded to an inmatemessaging system, a simple copier or a multifunction device set to acopy mode may be sufficient.

Portable computer or tablet 30 may be any computer such as a laptopcomputer or tablet computer or a smart phone or similar device. While adesktop computer or terminal may be used, due to power requirements, atablet or laptop computer with an internal battery may be moreconvenient. One such tablet computer that may serve as portable computer30 is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5-Inch Tablet (16 GB, TitaniumBronze). But it is understood that other tablets and portable computingdevices may also be used. Portable computer 30 will preferably connectto scanner 20 and printer 40 wirelessly but may also optionally connectvia USB or similar cables.

In one embodiment portable computer 30 is specially programmed to serveat least two functions: authentication/logging and review. Theauthentication/logging function enables the correctional facility toidentify and log that a particular piece of legal postal mail 1 that isbeing delivered to an inmate. This may be done is a variety of waysincluding, without limitation, by the corrections officer entering theinmates name or identifier and receiving a list of pre-logged legalpostal mail 1 to be delivered, locating the appropriate postal mail, andindicating that it has been provided to the inmate. Alternatively, thecorrections personnel may simply enter the inmate name/identifyingnumber and indicate that legal postal mail 1 was delivered withouthaving had it pre-logged or selected from a list. As a still furtheralternative, the inmate may use optional finger print 60 or RFIDcard/wristband reader 61 that is operative connected with computer toidentify himself or herself, after which tablet/portable computer 30either displays a list of pre-logged legal postal mail 1 to be deliveredor allows the correctional facility staff to indicate that legal postalmail 1 is being delivered. Similarly, an optional camera 32 ontablet/portable computer 30 could be used to identify the inmate viafacial recognition, retinal scan or any other unique identifyingcharacteristic, in the same manner as optional finger print or RFIDcard/wristband reader 61. Theoretically one could use a DNA match toinsure the inmate's identity. Where portable computer or tablet 30 doesnot include optional camera 32, a separate camera 900 may be used. Thatseparate camera 900 may be any camera capable of communicating withportable computer or tablet 30, such as, without limitation, a LogitechHD Laptop Webcam C615 with Fold-and-Go Design, 360-Degree Swivel, 1080pCamera.

The particular item of legal postal mail 1 being delivered may or maynot need to be specifically identified for logging purposes. If it does,then each item of legal postal mail 1 could be assigned a uniqueidentifier during pre-processing (which may or may not take the form ofa barcode sticker capable of being read by portable computer or tablet30 or a number printed or written on the outside of the postal mail, anRFID label, a Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee transmitter, or anytechnology equivalent. Alternatively, or in addition, the legal postalmail 1 may be photographed by portable computer 30 of the mail and/orthe inmate at the time of delivery to provide a record of what wasdelivered and what time it was delivered. The software on the computeror tablet 30 would be enabled to take the required pictures and storethem in the delivery record with the time and date stamp. Theauthentication/logging function may be completed by either storing theinformation in portable computer 30 for later printing or transfer toanother database or system, or by wirelessly transmitting suchinformation to a database or system such as an inmate messaging system,where it can be combined with other information previously gathered whenthe postal mail was initially processed.

For the review function, portable computer 30 may be speciallyprogrammed to trigger scanner 20 and receive an image from scanner 20.Alternatively, scanner 20 may be triggered independently and portablecomputer or tablet 30 may receive the scanned image copy. The inmatewill then review the scanned image copy and determine if the image isclear and complete, or if it needs to be re-scanned. Once the inmate hasconfirmed the image, he or she may optionally acknowledge the scan via asignature (e.g. with their finger on a touch screen of portable computer30), through facial recognition, or via optional finger print or RFIDcard/wristband reader 61 in the event the inmate refuses to acknowledge,the corrections personnel may note that refusal on portable computer 30at the time and initiate an override protocol to close the transaction.

For certain correctional facilities it may be preferred that thecorrectional facility staff have as little physical contact with thelegal postal mail 1 as possible, including for safety reasons orcompliance reasons. In such environments, logging and review functionsin one embodiment may be accomplished as follows:

a) an inmate would be asked to login to an inmate messaging system usingportable computer 30, just as the inmate would otherwise login toreceive messages. If the messaging system required a fingerprint or anRFID card/wristband to log in, then finger print or RFID card/wristbandscanner 60 would be used, or a scanner integrated into portable computer30 would be used. If login was by facial recognition, then camera 32 ora separate camera 900 could be used. Otherwise a password, PIN orpattern could be entered on portable computer 30, in the same manner inwhich the inmate would otherwise login to the messaging system.

b) The inmate would then open and scan or copy the legal postal mail 1,for example with scanner 20, as is otherwise described herein.Verification of the scan (via portable computer or tablet 30) or reviewof the printout would confirm that legal postal mail 1 had been properlyscanned. Since the scanning was done while the inmate was logged in, thescan would be associated with the inmate's account. The messaging systemwould record that it was legal postal mail 1 based on the user interfacepresented to the inmate for this process. The fact that inmatesotherwise do not typically upload scanned mail to the messaging systemis handled by the software on computer or tablet 30 so that it is notedand recorded that it is a legal postal mail transaction.

c) The inmate would then shred the legal postal mail 1 via shredder 70or place the legal postal mail into a secure property storage bag andlog out of the messaging system using portable computer or tablet 30.

Through this process, the messaging system records that legal postalmail 1 was delivered to that inmate at that time. The fact that theinmate was able to login to the messaging system identifies that thelegal postal mail 1 was delivered to the correct inmate. The loggingprocess is thereby accomplished with a minimal amount of work bycorrectional facility staff, and with a minimum of handling of the legalpostal mail 1. If the specific legal postal mail 1 delivered needs to beidentified, the envelope or packaging of the legal postal mail 1 couldbe scanned or uploaded via a photograph taken by portable computer 30.In such embodiments the messaging system may provide a simple,specialized user interface specific to the processing of legal postalmail 1 in the manner described.

It will be understood that portable computer 30 may be separated fromlegal postal mail processing cart 10 and handed to the inmate or may besecured to legal postal mail processing cart 10 in a position in whichthe inmate can view it easily, but corrections personnel cannot. Whereit is to be handed to the inmate, it may be disconnected (in which caseit will communicate wirelessly with other devices on legal postal mailprocessing cart 10) or may be connected to such devices with cables.Portable computer 30 may also, for security reasons, be attached tolegal postal mail processing cart 10 by a cable. In addition, it will beunderstood that optional finger print reader 60 may be any compatiblefinger print scanner or RFID card/wristband reader, including withoutlimitation a finger print or RFID card/wristband scanner integrated intoportable computer 30.

Optionally, the legal postal mail processing cart 10 camera 32 or aseparate camera 900 could be used record the complete transaction usingcomputer or tablet 30 which would consist of opening legal postal mail1, scanning legal postal mail 1 contents and envelope, the verificationof the scan image copy by the inmate and the shredding of legal postalmail 1 by the inmate as a record of the mail being delivered andprocessed so the inmate can have access to the information contained inthe legal postal mail 1 communique. This feature could be used inaddition to the authentication/logging function or as a secondaryconfirmation step that the mail was appropriately delivered and copiedper the correctional facilities protocol. The video would be stored inthe appropriate correctional facilities database.

As has been noted, in certain embodiments, the legal postal mail 1 maybe printed on printer 40 and left with the inmate. In such embodiments,portable computer or tablet 30 need only provide theauthentication/logging function previously described or, if noauthentication/logging function is required, portable computer or tablet30 need not be included or used at all, as in the case of a copier-basedsystem as opposed to a scanner-based system.

Where a scanned image copy of the legal postal mail 1 is stored forlater access by the inmate on an inmate messaging system such as isdescribed in U.S. application Ser. No. 15/153,171, (the content in itsentirety is incorporated herein by reference), portable computer ortablet 30 may connect with a wireless network to transfer the data inreal time, or may store the data for later transfer via a network(wireless or wired ethernet), or via USB or similar hardware storagemedia. Where transmission via wireless network is used, portablecomputer or tablet 30 may include an internet wireless networkingcapability or may connect via an optional Wi/Fi access point 70 (whichmay suitably be aa NETGEAR R6080-100NAS—AC1000 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router orsimilar device). Alternatively, it may connect through a cellularhotspot device such as a Verizon MiFi Jetpack 4620L Verizon WirelessWi-Fi 4G LTE Hotspot Modem or similar device. Such devices can beconvenient where signal strength is not sufficient for portable computeror tablet 30 internal Wi/Fi capability to communicate with thecorrectional facilities network, where portable computer or tablet 30 isnot Wi/Fi capable, or where special security or network requirementsnecessitate the use of a separate wireless access point or router.

Once the legal postal mail 1 has been printed and/or scanned and stored,the inmate will dispose of the original copy of the legal postal mail 1by shredding it using shredder 70. The Royal Sovereign AFX-975 Auto FeedShredder, or any other appropriate shredder may be used. For securitypurposes, a confetti shredder is preferred to a strip shredder. Incertain embodiments a combined scanner/shredder may be used in which thedocuments are shredded immediately after scanning. Such embodimentsrequire the scanner 20 to be highly reliable, however, as scanningfailures cannot be corrected by re-scanning the document when it isshredded automatically. Having the inmate acknowledge receipt oraccurate scanning prior to shredding provides evidence of properdelivery of the legal postal mail 1. An alternative to shredding thedocument would be for the inmate or staff member to place the scannedlegal postal mail into a secure inmate property bag for secure storage.

Power supply 80 may provide power to those components on legal postalmail processing cart 10 that do not use their own internal batteries,which will typically include printer 40, scanner 20, shredder 70 andWi/Fi access point 70. It will be understood that finger print 60 orRFID card/wristband reader 61 and a separate camera 900 could receivepower from either power supply 80 or directly from portable computer ortablet 30 via a USB or similar cable.

Power supply 80 may be a single, integrated unit such as a MINUTEMANBP36RTXL (1164)—Extended Battery Pack or similar device or it maycomprise separate components depending on the power needs of the devicesin use. In either event power supply 80 will comprise a battery 84 and apower transformer or inverter 86 capable of meeting the powerrequirements (voltage and amperage) of the selected devices.

Shelving 90 may optionally be included as well to provide storage forthe legal postal mail 1 to be distributed and/or supplies such as paperand printer ink. For security purposes, it may be convenient to encloseshelving 90 in a locking cabinet.

Through this process, the inmate will either be able to view a secure,scanned image of the legal postal mail 1 on an inmate messaging systemor will have a paper copy of the legal postal mail 1. In either event,any contraband in the legal postal mail 1 will have been destroyed orrendered inaccessible by the shredding or property storage process.Where the scanned image copy is stored for display in the inmatemessaging system, portable computer or tablet 30 will transmit thescanned image copy with data and commands sufficient for it to be storedin a manner that the inmate messaging system will not allow it to bedisplayed to corrections facility personnel.

As is referenced above, it will be understood that the legal postal mailprocessing station may be either mobile as described in connection withthe description of legal postal mail processing cart 10 or a fixed kioskor station using similar components, but in a fixed location and withoutthe need of power supply 80. The legal postal mail processing stationmay also contain any of the following additional hardware and associatedsoftware viewing software 92, printing software 93, portable storagemedium docking device 91 such as USB connector or SD card reader andDVD/CD burner and reader 94.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of using the system previously described, inwhich the inmate retains a paper copy of the legal postal mail 1. Instep 101 it is determined if logging is required.

In step 102 (corrections personnel log delivery on paper orelectronically) the corrections personnel may log the delivery of thelegal postal mail to the inmate on paper or using portable computer ortablet 30 (which need not be portable in the event a fixed kiosk orstation is used instead of a portable cart), and/or optional fingerprint or RFID card/wristband reader 60 as has been previously described.

Next the staff member logs in to the mail scanning station usingcredentials to identify the staff member.

The staff member searches for the recipient inmate by name or inmateidentifier to associate the documents to be scanned with the inmate'saccount;

In step 103 provide legal postal mail 1 to inmate, the inmate isproximal to the processing cart 10, the legal postal mail is provided tothe inmate who opens and copies it in step 104 inmate opens and copieslegal postal mail 1. Here it is apparent that if only a paper copy isneeded a copier, or a multifunction device may be used in lieu ofseparate scanner 20 and printer 40. The inmate then verifies the copy instep 105 (copy 1) inmate verifies copy. If the inmate determines in step106 that the copy is not accurate or complete, a new copy is made instep 104 (copy 2) and the copy 1 can be shredded. The process can berepeated until a readable copy is created in step 104. If the copy 1 or2 is accurate, the inmate then shreds the legal postal mail step 107 andretains the copy which is now contraband free in step 108 and inmateretains copy.

Likewise, FIG. 3 illustrates a method of using the system previouslydescribed in which the legal postal mail 1 is scanned, and the scan isstored on an inmate messaging system. In step 201 (is logging required),it is determined if logging is required. This may be done as a matter ofinstitutional policy or as a matter of choice by correctional personnelon a unit-by-unit, or inmate-by-inmate basis. But it is likely that itwill be determined as a matter of institution policy. If so, in step 202(corrections personnel log delivery on paper or electronically) thecorrections personnel may log the delivery of the legal postal mail 1 tothe inmate on paper or using portable computer or tablet 30 (which neednot be portable in the event a fixed kiosk or station is used instead ofa portable cart), and/or optional finger print or RFID card/wristbandreader 60 as has been previously described. In step 203 (provide legalpostal mail 1 to inmate), the legal postal mail is provided to theinmate who opens and scans it in step 204 (inmate opens and copies legalpostal mail 1) using scanner 20 or a multifunction device (notillustrated) as previously described. The inmate then verifies thescanned image copy in step 205 (inmate verifies scanned image copy). Ifthe inmate determines in step 206 (is scanned image copy accurate) thatthe scanned image copy is not accurate or complete, a new scanned imagecopy is made in step 204. If allowed by the institution, the inmate maybe given an option in step 208 (inmate given option to print scannedimage copy) to print a copy of the scanned image copy and retain it. Ifthe inmate elects to do so, the scanned image copy can be printed byprinter 40 in step 209 (print copy) and retained. If the scan isaccurate or the inmate has printed the scanned image copy, the inmatethen shreds the original and step 207. In either event, portablecomputer or tablet 30 will have transmitted the scanned image copy ofthe legal postal mail 1 to an inmate messaging system that will allowthe inmate to view the scanned image copy at a later time in step 210(inmate views scanned image through messaging system). More informationabout the design and operation of an appropriate inmate messaging systemis available in U.S. application Ser. No. 15/153,171, previouslyincorporated by reference.

Referring to FIG. 4 which presents an alternated embodiment thatutilizes a legal postal mail tracking device which provides for a uniqueidentifier for each piece of legal postal mail. The identifier is placedon the legal postal mail once it is identified by the staff as legalpostal mail. This provides a unique identifier for the legal postal mailand insures that there is proper handling of the mail. The uniqueidentifier could be in any form that allows electronic tracking so thatthe mail is easily identifiable as legal postal mail. The following is abrief description of the process utilizing the unique identifier totrack legal postal mail within the facility and insure that the mail isdelivered expeditiously to the correct inmate. The process could utilizethe following steps:

1) When legal postal mail 1 has been identified at the mail receivingstation 500 as legal postal mail it is assigned a unique identifier id300 which has a corresponding RFID and/or bar code 310. Alternatively,the institution could also use a Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee®transmitter as the unique identifier and the address or id for thattransmitter would be associated with the particular piece of mail.

2) The unique identifier id 300 is then associated with the legal postalmail 1 and the inmate identifier which is associated with the inmate whothe legal postal mail 1 is addressed to by entering it in a legal postalcomputer tracking system 400 which must be accessible from the legalpostal mail processing cart.

3) The legal postal mail 1 and the legal postal mail processing cart 10will be taken to the inmate or if the legal postal mail processing cart10 is stationary the inmate will be brought to the legal postal mailprocessing cart 10.

4) The staff member logging in to the mail scanning station usingcredentials to identify the staff member.

5) The institution personnel will scan the mail unique identifier 300and the inmate identifier 350 and enter them into the legal postal mailcomputer tracking system. The inmate identifier 350 could be facialrecognition, RFID identity card, RFID bracelet, Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI orZigBee® transmitter.

6) If the legal postal mail unique identifier 300 and inmate identifier350 do not match the mail will be returned to the mail receiving station500 for verification. If the unique identifier 300 and the inmateidentifier 350 match, then the legal postal mail 1 will be opened by theinmate in front of the institution personnel.

7) The legal postal mail 1 will be scanned in front of the inmate by theinstitution personnel or by the inmate under the supervision of theinstitution personnel.

8) The inmate will compare the scanned mail 1510 and the legal postalmail 1.

9) After the inmate concurs with the scan mail 1510 of the legal postalmail 1 the Bluetooth® LTE, WI/FI or ZigBee® transmitter, RFID and/or barcode can be removed by the institution staff if required by theinstitution protocol, else it can stay with the mail and the mail willbe bagged for storage or shredded.

10) The inmate will be provided access to the scanned mail 1510 eitherthrough using their inmate identifier and the messaging system of givena printed copy of scan mailed 1510.

Alternatively, the system can be simplified to consist of:

a) a copier;

b) a shredder;

c) a power supply

all mounted on a portable cart of at a fix work station; whereincorrections personnel can provide legal postal mail to the inmate;wherein the inmate can copy the legal postal mail with the copier andthen shred the legal postal mail with the shredder and retain only thecopy of the legal postal mail.

Referring to FIG. 5 a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailin an embodiment of a legal postal mail processing station utilizing ascanner, an electronic inmate messaging system, and transmitting thescan image to a central database for eliminating contraband in legalpostal mail for a correctional institution while retaining the privacyof legal mail comprises of the steps:

a. Receiving postal mail at the correctional facility and determiningthat it qualifies as legal mail Step 501;

b. Identifying mail information of each piece of legal postal mailcomprising recipient inmate name and inmate identifier Step 502 and;

c. Identifying legal postal mail sender Step 503;

d. At correctional institution verify that the recipient inmate name andinmate identifier are valid and are active, in-custody, and eligible toreceive legal postal mail Step 504;

e. If the inmate is not valid, has been released, transferred, or isotherwise unable to receive legal postal mail as addressed, it may bereturned to sender by the facility Step 505;

f. At institution using a legal postal mail scanning station for use bystaff member or the inmate under staff member supervision Step 506;

g. Legal mail scanning station comprising of a scanner, a computer witha first camera and display, a shredder, a second camera and a printer;staff member logging in to the mail scanning station using credentialsto identify the staff member Step 507.

h. Staff member searching for recipient inmate by name or inmateidentifier to associate the documents to be scanned with inmate'saccount Step 508;

a) Provide legal postal mail to inmate identified by inmate identifierat inmate institution, inmate being proximal to mail scanning stationand said first camera recording a picture of said inmate; Step 509;

i. Inmate or staff member entering the name of the sender from legalmail Step 510;

j. Second camera begins to record a video of the scanning process Step511;

k. Inmate opening the legal mail associated with the recipient inmatename and the inmate identifier Step 512;

l. Inmate scanning legal mail using a scanner attached to computer onmail delivery station to create a scanned image copy 1 for review and ona computer attached to the scanner Step 513;

m. Inmate verifying that scanned image copy 1 from computer on maildelivery station is readable Step 522;

n. If scanned image copy 1 is not readable Step 522 then inmate deletesscanned image copy 1 Step 514, inmate rescans Step 515 the legal mailusing the scanner to create a scanned image copy 1, inmate repeats stepsm and n until scan copy 1 is readable;

o. If the scanned image copy 1 is readable then the inmate approves thescan and stores the scanned image copy 1 Step 516 on computer memoryattached to the scanner on the mail scanning station as scan image copy;

p. The video recorded by the second camera of steps 511-516 beinguploaded to a central server for storage and later retrieval Step 517;

q. The inmate printing scan image copy Step 518;

r. The inmate shredding legal mail Step 519;

s. Transmitting scanned image copy and storing scanned image copy usingan electronic transmission method from the computer on legal postal mailscanning station to recipient inmate via institution messaging system,inmate being identified in messaging system by inmate identifier Step520;

t. wherein the risk of recipient inmate receiving contraband in legalmail is essentially eliminated Step 521.

The second camera and the steps associated with the second camera areoptional and some correctional institutions will not use or have asecond camera to record videos of the inmate opening and scanning legalpostal mail.

The electronic transmission method can be selected from the groupconsisting of, but not limited to, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, WI/FI, 3G, 4 Gand 5 G wireless mobile telecommunications technology, radio frequency,telephonic modem signals and wired ethernet internet.

The legal mail scanning station is configured such that the computer isadapted to store a log of the delivery and copying of the legal postalmail.

Once the legal postal mail has been scanned and transmitted to theinmate messaging system the inmate can then access the scanned legalmail using the inmate messaging system. In most cases the access to thescanned legal mail will require the inmate to enter a second,additional, or different password, or use biometrics such as an irisscan, fingerprint scan or facial recognition, to enable access to thecopy of legal mail delivered through inmate messaging system. The inmatemessaging system can be any of the following electronic access systemsas an email system, electronic kiosk, tablet computer, computer systemor messaging system.

Referring to FIG. 6 a flow chart of the processing of legal postal mailreceived at a central processing facility using an embodiment of a legalpostal mail processing station utilizing a scanner, an electronic inmatemessaging system, and transmitting the scan image to a central databasefor eliminating contraband in legal postal mail for a correctionalinstitution while retaining the privacy of legal mail comprises of thesteps:

a. Receiving postal mail at the processing facility and determining thatit qualifies as legal mail Step 600;

b. Separate legal postal mail from non-legal postal mail and place legalpostal mail in legal postal mail queue and place non-legal postal mailin non-legal postal mail queue, separating legal postal mail queue bycorrectional institution, and sending the legal postal mail to eachcorrectional institution Step 601;

c. At the correctional institution Identifying mail information of eachpiece of legal postal mail comprising recipient inmate name and inmateidentifier Step 602 and;

d. Identifying legal postal mail sender Step 603;

e. At correctional institution verify that the recipient inmate name andinmate identifier are valid and are active, in-custody, and eligible toreceive legal postal mail Step 604;

f. If the inmate is not valid, has been released, transferred, or isotherwise unable to receive legal postal mail as addressed, it may bereturned to sender by the facility Step 605;

g. At institution using a legal postal mail scanning station for use bystaff member or the inmate under staff member supervision Step 606;

h. Legal mail scanning station comprising of a scanner, a computer witha first camera and display, a shredder, a second camera and a printer;staff member logging in to the mail scanning station using credentialsto identify the staff member Step 607.

i. Staff member searching for recipient inmate by name or inmateidentifier to associate the documents to be scanned with inmate'saccount Step 608;

j. Provide legal postal mail to inmate identified by inmate identifierat inmate institution, inmate being proximal to mail scanning stationand said first camera recording a picture of said inmate; Step 609;

k. Inmate or staff member entering the name of the sender from legalmail Step 610;

l. Second camera begins to record a video of the scanning process Step611;

m. Inmate opening the legal mail associated with the recipient inmatename and the inmate identifier Step 612;

n. Inmate scanning legal mail using a scanner attached to computer onmail delivery station to create a scanned image copy 1 for review and ona computer attached to the scanner Step 613;

o. Inmate verifying that scanned image copy 1 from computer on maildelivery station is readable Step 622;

p. If scanned image copy 1 is not readable Step 622 then inmate deletesscanned image copy 1 Step 614, inmate rescans Step 615 the legal mailusing the scanner to create a scanned image copy 1, inmate repeats stepso and p until scan copy 1 is readable;

q. If the scanned image copy 1 is readable then the inmate approves thescan and stores the scanned image copy 1 Step 616 on computer memoryattached to the scanner on the mail scanning station as scan image copy;

r. The video recorded by the second camera of steps 611-616 beinguploaded to a central server for storage and later retrieval Step 617;

s. The inmate printing scan image copy Step 618;

t. The inmate shredding legal mail Step 619;

u. Transmitting scanned image copy and storing scanned image copy usingan electronic transmission method from the computer on legal postal mailscanning station to recipient inmate via institution messaging system,inmate being identified in messaging system by inmate identifier Step620;

v. wherein the risk of recipient inmate receiving contraband in legalmail is essentially eliminated Step 621.

The second camera and the steps associated with the second camera areoptional and some correctional institutions will not use or have asecond camera to record videos of the inmate opening and scanning legalpostal mail.

The electronic transmission method can be selected from the groupconsisting of, but not limited to, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, WI/FI, 3G, 4 Gand 5 G wireless mobile telecommunications technology, radio frequency,telephonic modem signals and wired ethernet internet.

The legal mail scanning station is configured such that the computer isadapted to store a log of the delivery and copying of the legal postalmail.

Once the legal postal mail has been scanned and transmitted to theinmate messaging system the inmate can then access the scanned legalmail using the inmate messaging system. In most cases the access to thescanned legal mail will require the inmate to enter a second,additional, or different password, or use biometrics such as an irisscan, fingerprint scan or facial recognition, to enable access to thecopy of legal mail delivered through inmate messaging system. The inmatemessaging system can be any of the following electronic access systemsas an email system, electronic kiosk, tablet computer, computer systemor messaging system.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modificationscan be devised by those skilled in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure, without departing from the invention. Accordingly, theinvention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modificationsand variances.

Certain exemplary embodiments of the disclosure may be described. Ofcourse, the embodiments may be modified in form and content, and are notexhaustive, i.e., additional aspects of the disclosure, as well asadditional embodiments, will be understood and may be set forth in viewof the description herein. Further, while the invention may besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specificembodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and willbe described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that theinvention is not intended to be limited to the particular formsdisclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications,equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

While certain features and aspects have been described with respect toexemplary embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize thatnumerous modifications are possible. Further, while various methods andprocesses described herein may be described with respect to particularstructural and/or functional components for ease of description, methodsprovided by various embodiments are not limited to any particularstructural and/or functional architecture.

Hence, while various embodiments are described with or without certainfeatures for ease of description and to illustrate exemplary aspects ofthose embodiments, the various components and/or features describedherein with respect to a particular embodiment can be substituted,added, and/or subtracted from among other described embodiments, unlessthe context dictates otherwise. Consequently, although several exemplaryembodiments are described above, it will be appreciated that theinvention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents withinthe scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method for reducing thelikelihood of legal postal mail, which is sent to an inmate at acorrectional institution, being a conduit for contraband while retainingprivacy associated with the legal postal mail, the computer implementedmethod comprising: receiving recipient inmate information associatedwith the legal postal mail; determining whether the recipient inmate isvalid to receive legal postal mail; obtaining, from a computerized legalmail station, a scanned image copy of the legal postal mail if therecipient inmate is valid to receive legal postal mail and if a scannedimage copy of the legal postal mail is generated; storing the scannedimage copy of the legal postal mail; obtaining, from a video recordingdevice, a recording of opening and scanning process associated withopening and scanning a copy of the legal postal mail; and transmittingthe scanned image copy to a computerized display that is viewable by therecipient inmate, wherein the computer display is capable of displayingthe scanned image copy of the legal postal mail.
 2. The computerimplemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving anindication that the postal mail qualifies as legal postal mail, whereinthe indication that postal mail qualifies as legal postal mail isobtained if a protocol comprising an analysis of postal mail issatisfied.
 3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, receiving anindication that the postal mail qualifies as legal postal mail, whereinthe indication that postal mail qualifies as legal postal mail isobtained after an inspection of postal mail by a staff member.
 4. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indication thatpostal mail qualifies as legal postal mail is further comprised oflogging within a database that legal postal mail is received.
 5. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising loggingwithin the database that legal postal mail has been forwarded fordelivery to the recipient inmate without having been opened.
 6. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 1 wherein inmate information iscomprised of a recipient inmate identifier.
 7. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein verifying that the recipient inmate is validto receive legal postal mail comprises verifying that the recipientinmate is active, in-custody, and eligible to receive legal postal mail.8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprisingassociating the legal postal mail with the recipient inmate if theinmate is valid to receive legal postal mail.
 9. The computerimplemented method of claim 6 further comprising generating a uniqueidentifier and associating the unique identifier to the legal postalmail.
 10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprisingassociating the generated unique identifier with the recipient inmateidentifier.
 11. The computer implemented method of claim 10 furthercomprising: generating first user interface elements for display on thecomputerized legal mail station, the first user interface elementscapable of receiving credentials associated with a correctionalinstitution staff member; verifying the credentials received from thecomputerized legal mail station to determine whether the receivedcredentials are associated with a correctional institution staff member;and enabling access on the computerized legal mail station if thereceived credentials are verified as being associated with acorrectional institution staff member.
 12. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1 further comprising: generating first user interfaceelements for display on the computerized legal mail station, the firstuser interface elements capable of receiving credentials associated witha correctional institution staff member; generating second userinterface elements for display on the computerized legal mail station,the second user interface elements capable of receiving a uniqueidentifier and a recipient inmate identifier; and enabling access on thecomputerized legal mail station if the received unique identifier isassociated with the recipient inmate identifier.
 13. The computerimplemented method of claim 1 further comprising generating third userinterface elements providing instructions to re-scan the legal postalmail if the scanned image copy is not acceptable.
 14. The computerimplemented method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting thescanned image copy to a database for access by the recipient via therecipient inmate via an institution messaging system.
 15. The computerimplemented method of claim 1 further comprising generating third userinterface elements for display on the computerized legal mail station,the third user interface elements providing instructions for therecipient inmate to print the scanned image copy and shred the legalpostal mail.
 16. The computer implemented method of claim 1 furthercomprising receiving an indication that postal mail is received at oneof a correctional institution or a central facility.
 17. The computerimplemented method of claim 1, wherein the computerized legal mailstation is comprised of at least a scanner, a computer, a videorecording device, a display, a shredder, a printer, and a networkinterface device.
 18. A computer implemented method for reducing thelikelihood of legal postal mail, which is sent to an inmate at acorrectional institution, being a conduit for contraband while retainingthe privacy of legal mail, the computer implemented method comprising:receiving recipient inmate information associated with the legal postalmail; determining whether the recipient inmate is valid to receive legalpostal mail; generating user interface elements for display on acomputerized legal mail station, the user interface elements providinginstructions for generating a copy of the legal postal mail, the legalmail station further comprising a copier; obtaining an indication fromthe computerized legal mail station that a copy function is executed;generating second user interface elements providing instructions tore-copy the legal postal mail if the first copy is not readable;obtaining, from a video recording device, a recording of opening andcopying process associated with opening and copying the legal postalmail; and storing the video recording; and associating the stored videorecording to the legal postal mail.
 19. A computerized legal mailstation for reducing the likelihood of legal postal mail, which is sentto an inmate at a correctional institution, being a conduit forcontraband while retaining privacy associated with the legal postalmail, the legal mail station comprising: a display for displaying userinterface elements to enable a recipient inmate to interface with thelegal mail station, wherein the display in capable of instructing therecipient inmate to at least one of, enter information associated withthe legal postal mail, enter information associated with the recipientinmate, indicate whether a scanned image copy and/or an image copy ofthe legal postal mail is acceptable, and instructing the recipientinmate to destroy the legal postal mail if the scanned image copy and/orthe image copy is acceptable; a computing device capable of interfacingwith at least one other computing device, wherein at least the computingdevice and the other computing device is capable of determining whetherthe recipient inmate is valid to receive legal postal mail based oninformation associated with the recipient inmate; at least one of ascanning device and a copying device, the scanning device capable ofgenerating a scanned image copy of the legal postal mail, and thecopying device capable of generating an image copy of the legal postalmail; a video recording device capable of recording opening and at leastone of scanning and copying process associated with opening and scanningand/or copying of the legal postal mail, wherein the video recording maybe associated with the legal postal mail by the computing device; ashredder for shredding legal postal mail once it has been scanned and/orcopied; and at least one wheel to form a portable legal mail station,wherein the at least one wheel may be used to move the legal mailstation to a location associated with the recipient inmate.
 20. Thecomputerized legal mail station of claim 19 further comprising a networkinterface device capable of enabling communication between the thecomputerized legal mail station and the at least one other computingdevice, wherein the network interface device is capable of transmittingand receiving data associated with the legal postal mail and/or therecipient inmate information.